Profile

I am a Research Fellow funded by a Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) Early Career Researcher Fellowship. I am currently running a research programme I designed called ‘The Paediatric Narcolepsy Project’. This longitudinal case-control study aims to investigate the relationship between sleep, physical activity, cognitive function and psychosocial well-being in paediatric narcolepsy.

I gained my first-class honours degree in Psychology at The University of Sheffield in 2013. Throughout my degree, I gained experience in a variety of psychology lead services, working with a wide range of clinical populations, namely; Traumatic Brain Injury, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Personality Disorder, Dementia, Depression and Anxiety. I also gained commercial experience by completing work experience at Cambridge Cognition Ltd., an applied psychology company which provides computerised cognitive tests (CANTAB) for use in diagnosing and monitoring conditions that affect mental health.

I gained my Master of Science Degree in Development, Disorders and Clinical Practice at The University of York in 2014 (Passed with Distinction), before being awarded a University of Leeds 110 Anniversary Scholarship to complete my doctorate in Cognitive and Developmental Psychology at The University of Leeds (2014-2018).

I have received funding to support my research from Child Brain Research, Sufferers of Unique Narcolepsy Disorder, Ireland, Narcolepsy UK, the Max Hamilton fund at The University of Leeds, The Psychology Postgraduate Affairs Group (PsyPAG) and The British Psychological Society. I am affiliated with the SleepResearch@Leeds group at the University of Leeds.

Research interests

I am particularly interested in the effects of disturbed sleep on daytime functioning, social relationships and psychological well-being. Ultimately, I am interested in the development and application of interventions to improve quality of life for sufferers of narcolepsy and other sleep disorders.